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Story goal = signpost 1?

Story goal = signpost 1?

Posted: Aug 02, 2010 12:49 pm

by greay

I'm working with multiple plot progressions (this is a story for a video game). In a lot of them, the OS signpost 4 is the story goal, which makes sense. However, in a couple of them, it's placed in the OS signpost 1. I'm not entirely sure the best way to handle that. For reference, the goal across all the plot progressions is "understanding".

Now, /my/ understanding is signposts can either be positive or negative. So if the goal is understanding, I'd focus on the characters' lack of understanding in the first signpost if that's where it falls. Is that sound? Would there be any other potential approaches that I'm not seeing?

Re: Story goal = signpost 1?

Posted: Aug 03, 2010 9:07 am

by Chris Huntley

The OS signposts describe where everyone is concerned at that particular point in the story (i.e. that act). MISUNDERSTANDING or lack of understanding are both great alternate uses of Understanding.

In answer to your question, yes, the OS Signpost one can be about everyone having misunderstandings, or lack of understandings, or creating understandings, or anything understanding related. Meanwhile, the Story Goal remains consistently a commonly shared, and specific, form of (Mis)Understanding.